CVE-2025-21163
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIllustrator versions 29.1, 28.7.3 and earlier are affected by a Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAdobe Illustrator contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability when parsing specially crafted .ai files. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The attack requires user interaction to open a malicious file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 28.0, < 28.7.4>= 29.0, < 29.2.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Adobe Illustrator is installedOn Windows, check for Illustrator.exe in Program Files\Adobe\ or use Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Illustrator.exe. On Mac, check /Applications for Adobe Illustrator.app.Affected if Adobe Illustrator is present on the system
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Determine installed version numberOn Windows, right-click Illustrator.exe, select Properties, and read the File Version (e.g., 28.7.0.565). On Mac, open Adobe Illustrator.app/Contents/Info.plist and find CFBundleShortVersionString.Affected if Version cannot be determined but Illustrator is installed
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Compare version against first affected rangeCheck if the installed version is >= 28.0 and < 28.7.4. For example, versions 28.0 through 28.7.3 are vulnerable.Affected if Version is 28.0.x.x through 28.7.3.x
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Compare version against second affected rangeCheck if the installed version is >= 29.0 and < 29.2.1. For example, versions 29.0 through 29.2.0 are vulnerable.Affected if Version is 29.0.x.x through 29.2.0.x
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Note attack vector requirementThis vulnerability requires a user to open a specially crafted .ai file. Check if users handle .ai files from external or untrusted sources.Affected if Users routinely open .ai files from untrusted sources and Illustrator version is in affected ranges
The environment is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed and the version falls within 28.0 to 28.7.3 or 29.0 to 29.2.0, with the additional requirement that a user would need to open a malicious .ai file for exploitation to occur.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped28.7.429.2.1
Update Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version. Avoid opening .ai files from untrusted or unknown sources.
Adobe Illustrator 28.7.4 or later for 28.x branch; Adobe Illustrator 29.2.1 or later for 29.x branch
- 1. Determine the currently installed Adobe Illustrator version by opening Illustrator and navigating to Help > About Adobe Illustrator
- 2. If version is 28.x (28.0 through 28.7.3), upgrade to version 28.7.4 or later
- 3. If version is 29.x (29.0 or 29.1), upgrade to version 29.2.1 or later
- 4. Download the updated version from the official Adobe website or use the Creative Cloud desktop application to update
- 5. After installation, verify the version by checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator to confirm the update was successful
- 6. Ensure users are instructed to only open files from trusted sources as a defense-in-depth measure, though the vulnerability is now patched
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-21163 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21163 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data